Student nurses must wait three weeks for cash

SOME STUDENT nurses will have to wait another three weeks for their NHS bursaries - breaking the Government's pledge that all the grants would be paid by yesterday.

Earlier this week The Independent revealed that hundreds of student nurses were struggling to feed and house themselves. Their NHS grants are being administered for the first time by the central bodywhich has been experiencing computer faults. Some students were being forced to live off food parcels or drop out of nursing altogether because they had not received any money for more than seven weeks.

A Department of Health spokesman said that payments were being made as quickly as possible to prevent any student experiencing financial hardship. "The small number still outstanding should be paid by 3 November," said the spokesman. But Louise Hulme, 18, of Congleton, Cheshire, has still not received any of her payments. She received a "copy" of her form which was not the one she had submitted, with lots of details missing. She re- filled it and faxed it off only to be told the money would take another three weeks to arrive.